Meet Joe Black (1998)

A media mogul acts as a guide to Death, who takes the form of a young man to learn about life on Earth and in the process, fall in love with his guide's daughter.

Director:

Martin Brest

Writers:

Ron Osborn (screenplay), Jeff Reno (screenplay),

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Joe Black / Young Man in Coffee Shop
Anthony Hopkins	...	William Parrish
Claire Forlani	...	Susan Parrish
Jake Weber	...	Drew
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Allison
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Quince
David S. Howard	...	Eddie Sloane
Lois Kelly-Miller	...	Jamaican Woman
Jahnni St. John	...	Jamaican Woman's Daughter
Richard Clarke	...	Butler
Marylouise Burke	...	Lillian
Diane Kagan	...	Jennifer
June Squibb	...	Helen
Gene Canfield	...	Construction Foreman
Suzanne Hevner	...	Florist

Storyline

William Parrish's birthday is drawing near. He is 64 years old. He has been a good man: a good business man with his own telecommunications company and a very dear father for his daughters Susan and Allison; but death is waiting for him. Death appropriates the body of a young man who had died few hours before and had won over Susan before his death. The death, called Joe Black, tells William he'll have more time if he shows him how is to be a human. Joe a Susan fall in love and Joe wants to take Susan to the beyond; but Susan doesn't know who Joe really is, she thinks he is the man she knew at café. William face up Joe and tell him doesn't know what love is, what sacrifice is and honesty with the other person is. So Joe understands he must allow Susa live her own life. Joe loves William, Susan and all his family. In the other hand, Joe helps William to make up his company. Drew is the second man in the company but he has a secret commercial relation with other company. Drew is working...

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Plot Keywords:

death | love | media mogul | birthday | three word title | 

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Taglines:

He's Expecting You.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rencontre avec Joe Black

Filming Locations:

Aldrich Mansion - 836 Warwick Neck Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£986,511 (UK) (15 January 1999)

Gross:

£3,087,979 (UK) (5 February 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, City Light Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When death is standing behind the glass in Bill's library upon their first meeting, the body is obscured. However, when death stands closer to the window, the outline in the window forms a skull. This is the first indication of who the mysterious person is.

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Goofs

When Joe walks into the office to tell Bill that it will be just the two of them, Bill takes off his glasses twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Construction Foreman: Please. Please. Don't worry. Don't worry.
Allison: It's utter chaos around here. And I'm terrified we're running out of time. Am I trying to be too perfect?

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Connections

Remade as Shukriya: Till Death Do Us Apart (2004)

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Soundtracks

You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
Written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin

User Reviews

Reflective And Philosophical

For a long time I put off watching this, because I have no interest in superficial, teen comedy flicks, as implied by the film's pedestrian title and by the casting of a youthful Brad Pitt. But "Meet Joe Black" is anything but "superficial", and "teen comedy" does not describe this movie at all.

Set in contemporary New York, the film follows a wealthy family whose patriarchal sixty-five year old head, played by Anthony Hopkins, is nearing the end of his life. Enter "Joe Black" (Brad Pitt), a handsome, but enigmatic, young man with an unusual agenda.

This is a thought-provoking movie about mortality and emotional separation. It will appeal to viewers with a reflective and philosophical nature. But the film also has humor, which keeps it from being grim. The pace is slow. There's lots of silence and stillness, entirely appropriate, given the subject matter. Among other things, the film presents the novel idea that a supernatural being can be subject to human emotions, and can make mistakes in judgment resulting from those emotions.

The film is not perfect. The plot is a tad egocentric. There's no reference to the universality and ongoing occurrence of death outside the confines of this family. Also, why now? Why does death choose to engage life in our present world, why not five hundred years ago? Minor script changes could have addressed these issues. The initial meeting between Susan (Claire Forlani) and Joe Black seems a little too convenient, but forms the basis for a plot twist that strengthens the overall story.

The acting is excellent. Anthony Hopkins is, as usual, outstanding. I would not have cast Brad Pitt in the role he plays, but he does a good job. Appropriate for this movie, the acting style for both Pitt and Forlani is one wherein they communicate their characters to viewers largely by means of their eyes, which, as taught by ancient philosophers, are the windows of the soul.

For viewers who liked "The Sixth Sense", another serious film with depth of meaning, I recommend "Meet Joe Black" most highly.